Posts: 15

Topic: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

I have just begun to read the book "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult. The author starts this book by naming different activities you can do in 19 minutes. Such as, you can order pizza and get it delivered, walk a mile, or read a story to your child. The author then says "In nineteen minutes you can get revenge." I think that this is a very intriguing way to start a book, by drawing the readers to find out what revenge happened, and why. Alex Cormier walked into her kitchen to find her daughter, Josie, hunched over at the table looking at a textbook. Josie looked exhausted as she poured coffee into her glass. Alex told Josie that she shouldn't be coffee, and she responded by telling her she shouldn't be smoking cigarettes. Josie looked at her mother challenging any other "vices" she had, which I learned means habits. Before Alex left she made Josie breakfast and made her promise to eat, but when her mother walked out the door she scrapped her plate into the garbage. Why doesn't Josie want to eat?

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Josie is the perfect girl, with the best grades, good looks, and the best boyfriend, but she doesn't always think she is that lucky. Josie feels trapped as if there is nowhere else to go. "A room with no windows and no doors" as the author explained Josie's thoughts. Sure Josie seems almost perfect, but no one knows whats going on in her head, and how hard it is for her to get up some mornings. Josie looked in her nightstand and stared at the zip lock bag full of 15 pills in which she had acquired from her mother's prescription medication over the last 6 months. Josie didn't plan of killing herself but she had the pills as a back up plan, if something went wrong and people found out she was faking it. Faking the smiles and laughs. This really makes me think how you never know what someone is going through. Anyone who seems to be happy could actually be desperately needing your help. Someone who you are close to, and know everything about could be feeling this way without you knowing.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Patrick sat at the red light, in his police car, when he got the message. Signal 1000, which meant life or death. Patrick arrived at the school, grabbed his bulletproof vest and ran inside. Chaos ran out of the school. The fire alarm rang so loud he struggled to hear the gunshots. Everywhere he went, he saw bodies lying on the ground. Patrick followed the gunshots into the gym, where he found more bodies on the ground, one of which was moving. He ran up to see if the boy was okay when the boy pulled a pistol out from under his leg and held it up to his own head. I can't imagine this happening at my school. Every student came to school that morning just as the would a regular day, but it wasn't going to be a regular day. This day would change their lives forever. This was the day someone would get "revenge." I don't know what would lead someone to get this kind of revenge, but I assume I will find out.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

We never know what could be going on in someones life that they are not telling us. Parents are getting a divorce, family member passed, being bullied, or maybe even an illness. Teenagers struggle to express their feelings and what they are going through. High school is very hard for many teens, and all of these other problems that cause stress and anxiety can trigger something. Weather, its rage or the feeling that they are alone, nothing good comes from it. Jodi Picoult has done a very good job, and making me reflect on how something simple can affect someones life. It also makes me realize how your life can change by just one, action. It may be good or bad but everything you do, will reflect on what happens later in your life.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

In the book "Nineteen Minutes" it jumps from past to present. The chapter I just read was taken place in the past 17 years earlier. Alex was pregnant, and although she planned to have an abortion she kept missing her appointments. Now Alex would have to have her baby and put it up for adoption. Alex didn't want to raise the baby by herself, she wasn't ready. She was busy being a lawyer. A couple weeks in Alex rushed to the hospital because she believed she was having a miscarriage. I know that Alex says that she doesn't want to keep the baby, I feel that deep down she wants the baby. She needs the baby. I believe he just doesn't want it because she is told that she can't with her job. That the baby will ruin her career which has just begun. I also think that she doesn't want to keep the baby because it will remind her of Logan, the babies father, who told her to get an abortion.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Lacy ran toward the school in her scrubs. All she could think about how she couldn't lose another son. She got to the crowd of people and heard someone say her son's name, "Peter Houghton." Lacy turned to the girl behind her, "You said Peter Houghton, my son?" The teenage girl looked at Lacy in horror and said, "Peter was the shooter." Lacy didn't understand, she believed that it must be a mistake. Lacy felt as if it was her fault. How could her son do that? I was not expecting this at all. Lacy is a good person, how could she raise someone who would shoot up a school. This really shows that parents have no idea what's going on in the child's life and that parents need to take the time to be more present. Sure you have a good kid, but they could be going through something unspeakable that you don't even know about. Everyone needs to stop assuming that someone is fine, and take time to figure out what is wrong.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

It was Peter's first day of kindergarten. He was so excited for his first day of school that he woke up at 4:00 am. and couldn't fall back asleep. Peter stepped int the bus following his big brother. Peter's brother sat beside a boy whom he didn't know, and Peter instantly felt out of place, but then Josie called his name and instantly felt better. The bus had just started to drive when a boy came up to Peter/ made fun of his lunch kit, and threw it out he window. Peter started getting bullied on his first day of kindergarten. A month into kindergarten and Lacy was called into the school because of Peter. The teacher told Lacy that there was nothing that she could do, about Peter getting bullied. That how when she punished the bullies, it just put a bigger target on Peter. the teacher told Peter that she was going to show him how to stand up for himself, instead of just accepting what happened to him. Lacy could not believe what his teacher was telling her. She wanted Peter to act the same way as the bullies? When Lacy got home she talked to Peter. Lacy said, "Peter I know whats going on with Drew, the next time something like that happens I need you to stand up for yourself, or I am going to have to punish you." How could she say this to Peter? Just because he is a shy kid, that doesn't want to fight back to the bullies? The school should be talking to Drew, and the other bullies parents not Peters. It is not fair.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Lacy felt empty inside, like she felt nothing. She felt guilty. She went to the store to get milk, and when she was cashing out she noticed a jar that read, "Families of Sterling High." The girl working the till noticed Lacy looking at it. "Its a shame, how could the boy's parents raise such a monster," she said. Lacy didn't say anything, and left the store without the milk. What Peter did was not Lacy's fault. She had no idea. She can't control how Peter is feeling. No matter how perfect you think or pretend your child is, they will eventually disappoint you. No one is perfect. Not Peter, not Josie, and not Drew or Matt.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Josie was dead inside. The author uses a metaphor because Josie isn't actually dead inside she just feels that way. When Josie was told that Matt got shot, and didn't make it Josie felt like her whole life had disappeared. Josie was the one with Matt when he got shot, the only witness, but she couldn't remember anything. Not even that a shooting had occurred. Josie felt worthless. What Josie is going through is very similar to what a lot of people go through when they lose someone they love.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Josie started to wonder about her dad. She had never met him. He had never reached out to her. Her mom never talked about Logan, all she said is that she loved him. Josie found Logan in the paper because he was running for office. She found his address and asked Matt to drive her. Josie walked up to the door and spotted a kids toy truck, and she instantly felt as if she was replaced. That her own father replaced her with another kid. She knocked on the door and Logan looked at her and said, "Your Alex's kid." Then he pulled out money from his wallet and told her with him running for office he couldn't afford a complication. Josie was a complication? She is his daughter how could he not want her in his life. Why would he try to pay her off?

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Josie and Matt were at Courtney's house. Josie was downstairs with Hannah and Matt was upstairs with everyone else. Matt called Josie and said that they were leaving and then when she said she wanted to stay he get made. When she came up the stairs he pushed her against the wall. I don't understand how Josie loved Matt if he treated her this way. Not only did he bully Peter his whole life, but he was also now abusing Josie? Why is she upset now that he is dead? He really didn't love Josie, he said that he did and that made her feel special but Matt didn't really mean it, because if you truly love someone you won't hurt them.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Josie started working at the same place as Peter. They rarely talked, only about work. Such as, "How many copies do I need." One day Josie and Peter started joking around and it felt almost as it did when they were little when they were friends. Best friends. Peter thought that Josie actually liked him, and that they were friends but Josie told him that they weren't friends. I think that it's rude how Josie won't be friends with Peter just because he gets bullied. She is being very "fake" pretending that she doesn't care when they make fun of it when really she does. You shouldn't have to stop being friends with someone just to gain popularity. I think Josie's situation is very similar to many other teenagers today because many teenagers will do anything to become more popular.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Josie and Peter got stuck in the school elevator and so they began asking each other questions. Josie told Peter that Matt pushes her and that's how she sprained her ankle. Why does Josie let Matt do this to her? Peter wanted to tell someone but he promised Josie he wouldn't ad he knew that if he did Josie would never talk to him again. In the elevator, Peter asked Josie why she hated him about she told him the truth and how she didn't hate him at all. Right before the janitor got them out of the elevator Josie and Peter kissed. Is this why he had written "let live" beside Josie's yearbook photo because he knew that she didn't hate him?

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Lacy went to visit Peter, pretending everything is fine. She talk to him about when he was little. Peter got mad at her. He said told her that they never connected before so why try now? Lacy then asked him about how his visit with his father was, but Peters father has never came to visit him. Peters dad hadn’t visited him at all since the shooting? Even if he did something horrible, he’s still his son. Even tho you may hate and despise what he did, you still have to love them. Deep down their still a kid. Peter is still a kid. Everyone wants Peter to go to jail, but no one asks what led him to shooting up the school. No one knows what he went through since he was little. I’m not saying that what Peter did is acceptable. I am just saying that no one has the right to judge.

Re: Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

Jordan came in to ask Peter questions about his brother. His dead brother, who passed away in a car crash. When Jordan brought it up, Peter was not sad at all. Peter told Jordan that he hated his brother. Everyone expected Peter to do the same things as Joey. They expected him to be good at sports, and get straight A’s. Peter explained to Jordan how Joey was the one who had always started the bullying. That if Drew or Matt weren’t making his life a living nightmare, Joey was. Joey called him gay, and would physically abuse him. Even though he did all these things, Peter knew that everyone thought he was the golden child. Peter’s parents never got mad at Joey. They believed he was perfect. That’s what they thought. They never knew how he acted when they weren’t around. When Joey died, Peters parents couldn’t take it. They lost their favourite son. They turned to Peter for support. Peter didn’t get to mourn his brother he just kept hating him.